SMIGGLE PROMISING SMILES & GIGGLES FOR FANS IN RICHMOND WITH NEW STORE OPENING

One of Australia’s best known children’s stationery retailers is promising to bring ‘smiles and giggles’ to Richmondwhen it opensa colourful new store in the area, creating 10 to 15 jobs in the process.

Melbourne based Smiggle has identified Richmond as a key area in its attempts to become a contagious brand amongst youngsters and their parents in the UK and its store in George Street will be the first ‘High Street’ store to open in the UK on Friday 12th September.

The Richmond presence is Smiggle’s ninth store in just seven months, with the other eight stores residing in large scale shopping centres.

It will stock some of the most innovative and fun children’s stationery items anywhere and is part of Smiggle’s ambitious plans to open at least 200 more stores in the UK over the next five years.

Smiggle, whose name derives from a combination of smile and giggle coming together, is promising a ‘treasure trove’ of quirky stationery items, with all manner of innovative items on offer for youngsters to use at school, for homework or play.

The new Richmond storeis filled with bright and bold stationery, bags, lunchboxes, accessories, gadgets and more.

At Smiggle, every product features a special Smiggle ‘twist’ on a stationery classic - a burst of bright colour, unique design and quirky graphic illustration.

Smiggle’s global head John Cheston, who confirmed a further 10 stores will be trading by the end of the year, said that Richmond was always prioritised as a key area for the brand to open in, from the moment UK expansion plans began.

He said: “Our Richmondopening is one of the first steps of a major expansion programme in the UK, where we willbe trading 18 stores by the end of 2014 alone.”

“It is a pivotal destination for us and we are glad to be investing so heavily in the area.”

“The fact that this will be our first High Street destination – as opposed to bespoke shopping centres – underlines the confidence we have in making our Richmond arrival a big success”.

“We have 11 years of retail experience and there is no other concept like Smiggle – anywhere.”

Smiggle currently operates over 160 stores in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore but is anticipating major UK growth over the next four to five years.

With the UK sharing the same Christmas, Easter and back-to-school events as Australasia, the battle for dominance in the children’s stationery market is an exciting one for Smiggle, according to Cheston.

“We respect other brands and competitors but we believe we offer something quite different.

“We are colourful, fun and all about creative interactivity. We know that the brand travels well and we believe we will be a big success.”

For more information about Smiggle and its new Richmond store, visit www.smiggle.co.uk